RESOURCES

Networks, Associations and Unions
Landworkers Alliance is a member organisation providing support and resources to its producer members, including social networking and training.

https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/

The CSA Network provides support and resources to members of emerging and existing CSA schemes. Their resources are also helpful to non-CSA small-scale farms. Their free-to-download resources include advice on business planning, insurance, funding, health and safety and certification:

https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/

The Farm Retail Association, is a member organisation providing support and resources to its farm shop members.

https://farmretail.co.uk/

Social Farms and Gardens is a UK wide charity supporting communities to farm, garden and grow together. It was created by a merger of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and Care Farming UK, and offers a community land advisory service among other resources.

https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/clas

The Organic Growers Alliance is a member organisation, providing its organic fruit and vegetable producer members with a magazine, forum, technical advice, and regular events.

https://organicgrowersalliance.co.uk/

Better Food Traders is a network of ethical and farmer-focussed retail businesses who sell sustainably produced fresh fruit and veg. Members include veg box schemes, CSAs, shops, food hubs and market stalls. We are a resource to our members, facilitating collaboration, providing support and enabling peer knowledge exchange. Better Food Traders are trying to shift the UK food system towards agroecological values-based supply chains and away from the profit-driven choices of large corporations. Farmers may want to seek out a Better Food Trader for an ethical route to market.

https://betterfoodtraders.org/find-a-better-food-trader/

Specialist Cheese Makers association Member association for specialist cheeses http://www.specialistcheesemakers.co.uk/

Pasture fed Livestock Association Member association for pasture fed livestock https://www.pastureforlife.org/

National Craft Butchers Association Member Association for craft butchery https://nationalcraftbutchers.co.uk/

The Charcuterie Board Member association for cured meat producers https://thecharcuterieboard.org/

National Association of Cider Makers Member association for Cider and Perry producers https://cideruk.com/

Raw Milk Producers Association Member association for raw milk producers https://rawmilkproducers.co.uk

Food and Farming Directories
Farms to Feed Us is a database of small-scale food producers across the UK who supply fresh produce that has been ‘grown in a resilient farming system’. https://farmstofeedus.org/

The Grocer Directory of Manufacturers and Suppliers is not specifically concerned with organic food but the index lists 150 companies producing organic foods: Also provides lists of suppliers, wholesalers and A – Z of organic products. http://www.grocerdirectory.co.uk/

The Soil Association have a number of directories: Certified organic box schemes Local independent retailers

Farmers and Growers Groups
Online groups provide an excellent source of information on a range of topics, as well as support and offers of work, equipment, etc.

Organic Growers Alliance https://www.facebook.com/OrganicGrowersAlliance/ UK Organic Market Gardeners https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214414278648144/ The forum on the PfLA website is said to be very active and useful, but does require membership: https://www.pastureforlife.org/members/

Farmer’s Blogs and Videos
Katie Anderson’s Female Farmer UK blog appears to be sadly defunct, but a number of her excellent videos on topics like selling to restaurants, small-scale farming problems, lambing kit essentials and more are still up on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqjHoiK9DXIlcLc5lYxYgQw/featured

Small Farm Future is also written by a new entrant smallholder, based at Vallis Veg in Somerset. Chris is also a director of the Ecological Land Cooperative. He’s written dozens of posts including on planning permission, the use of perennial versus annual crops and more: https://smallfarmfuture.org.uk/

Guidance on Health and Safety and Environmental Health
The Health and Safety Executive provides essential information and guidance on health and safety in agriculture. hse.gov.uk/agriculture/index.htm

The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens have written a comprehensive fact sheet on health and safety on community growing sites. https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/system/files/hscommgrowingsites_0.pdf

Social Farms and Gardens has designed a set of free-to-use signs to guide visitors on Covid safety and hygiene: https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/resources/signage-poster-re-opening-after-lockdown

The Food Standards Agency provides Information on starting a food business, including how to register. https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/starting-a-food-business

Guides to Financing Community & Small-Scale Food Businesses
From Making Local Food Work: Food & Finance: How Small-Scale Food Enterprises Raise the Money to Grow https://www.sustainweb.org/publications/food_finance/

Financing Community Food
https://www.sustainweb.org/publications/financing_community_food/ The Landworkers’ Alliance have published a guide to fundraising: https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/business-support/

Guides to Setting Prices
From Making Local Food Work: A Healthy Profit - a Simple Guide to Pricing the Food You Grow https://www.sustainweb.org/publications/a_healthy_profit/

The Soil Association also publish monthly price data for horticulture, arable, and livestock: https://www.soilassociation.org/farmers-growers/market-information/price-data/

Guides to Selling Wholesale
Cornell University in the United States has produced a comprehensive learning resource for small farms that want to sell direct or into the local wholesale market. Their resources include case studies, presentations, discussions, activities, videos and written materials. https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/

FamilyFarmed.org (also US-based) have published Wholesale Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Selling, Postharvest Handling and Packing Produce https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a6b36f28fd4d259ba4fae16/t/5a7e00cc71c10b2ebf7df534/1518207192816/Wholesale-Success-Manual.pdf